Prospect Spotlight: Robert McRae (2019)
If there was a list of most under-appreciated players in Southern California, which may pop up soon on Prep Hoops So-Cal, Fairfax wing Robert McRae would be near the top of it.
The naysayers will tell you he’s undersized for his projected position, he’s not an explosive leaper and he doesn’t really have one elite skill, but what those don’t see is McRae’s all-around skill set and winners mentality.
“I didn’t play all of last year because of injury, so that played a major factor in that,” McRae said. “I’m just trying to help my team win. Period. I don’t care about any personal accolades.”
The 6-foot-4, 190 pound small forward walks the walk when it comes to helping his team win, too.
Fairfax wing Robert McRae is poised for a breakout season after battling injury last year.McRae is well-versed in every aspect of the game. He’s a versatile and lockdown defender who can guard multiple positions successfully and holds his own on the offensive end, especially attacking the basket and finishing at the cup with authority.
“I can’t pick out just one of the biggest strengths in my game,” he said. “I feel like I do everything well, but I still need improvement in everything. Defensively, I can improve in denying my man and endurance. Offensively, my jump shot and ball handling need improvement.”
The jump shot is what the junior has been focusing on most heading into this season. When he’s not at basketball practice in the morning, or lifting at lunch, McRae is in the gym on his own getting shots up.
“I’m working hard on my jump shot,” he said. “Getting my arc higher, eliminating left and right misses, minimizing mistakes and my mid-range pull-up jumper. It’s taken a while for me to get used to playing again coming back from my injury, but I’m coming back.”
A healthy McRae bodes well for the Lions City Section playoff fate as Fairfax returns fellow starters Jamal Hartwell, Ethan Anderson and Kirk Smith to compliment its defensive stalwart.
McRae believes that the mental aspect of the game will be most important for Fairfax to return to the top of the City Section.
“We need to play together, play smart and play hard,” he said. “Our coach has been telling us that the only team that can beat us this year is ourselves. We have a great team this year. We all play hard and will fight for everything. When the time comes we just need to execute to the fullest and we can’t have mental mistakes.”
McRae has been hearing from a wide variety of college programs from the low to high major levels and said he doesn’t have a preference for location, but is looking for a place he can feel at home.
“I’m mainly hearing from UC Santa Barbara, Montana, Cal Baptist, Washington State, San Jose State and Denver,” he said.